The Pajama Game

Posted
March 18, 2010 in

It’s no bed of roses at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory where—before we had the luxury of throwing around silly little words like “sweatshop labor” and “workers’ rights”—bedtime apparel is churned out at a breakneck pace, much to the frustration of the hard-working, hard-pressed employees. And now, the workers are rising up. That’s the set-up for The Pajama Game, a ’50s-era musical that’s managed to scoop up a Tony Award or two along the way and is currently going on at the Candlelight Pavilion for its final weekend. Director Martin Lang, musical director Daniel Thomas and choreographer Orlando Alexander have joined forces on this one, which boasts fast-paced dance numbers (Bob Fosse fans, take note. If you don’t know who Fosse is, add All That Jazz to your Netflix queue. You’re welcome.) and songs with coy titles like “Hey There,” Small Talk” and (our personal fave) “Steam Heat”—we’re sure this is an ironing reference. In Pajama, female employee Babe falls for factory superintendent Sid—quite a pickle since this breach between union and management will impact an imminent strike hoping to prevail with a whopping seven-and-a-half-cents raise. Past productions of Pajama have earned bragging rights for having minted stars or showcased existing A-listers; one performance is credited with launching Shirley MacLaine’s career while a 2006 revival featured Harry Connick Jr. We guarantee you’ll be waving the flannel flag.